Lena Dunham faces backlash over shock abortion comment

Lena Dunham's cultural and political opinions are not without their controversies, and the Girls actress regularly finds herself in hot water for perceived "inappropriate" or "offensive" comments.

As is often the case with Lena, her latest incident comes down to inflammatory wording that has incited a firestorm of controversy on social media, after the celebrity claimed she wished she'd had an abortion.

The actress spoke about reproductive choices in her latest podcast for Women Of The Hour, and discussed her lifelong support of women's reproductive rights and the stigma that surrounds abortion.

"My name is Lena Dunham, and I have a confession to make," she began.

"One day, when I was visiting a Planned Parenthood in Texas a few years ago, a young girl walked up to me and asked me if I’d like to be a part of her project in which women share their stories of abortions. I sort of jumped. 'I haven’t had an abortion,' I told her. I wanted to make it really clear to her that as much as I was going out and fighting for other women’s options, I myself had never had an abortion.

"And I realised then that even I was carrying within myself stigma around this issue. Even I, the woman who cares as much as anybody about a woman’s right to choose, felt it was important that people know I was unblemished in this department."

What came next has become an issue for the star. Controversially, she then closed the segment by saying: "Now I can say that I still haven’t had an abortion, but I wish I had."

Whatever her true intentions, her choice of words has left some fans reeling, with many feeling her final sentence was grossly insensitive.